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In the movie Dying to Survive, a reseller of fake health supplements in Shanghai is faced with an unbeatable business proposition: selling unauthorized generic drugs from India to the burgeoning Chinese population of patients with cancer who can not afford the approved drugs. When someone asks the businessman, Cheng Yong, he wants to be a hero, he laughs. "I do not want to be a savior, I just want to make money."
Low-budget black comedy has become one of the most popular films in China for years, reporting close of 2.5 billion yuan (about 285 million pounds) since its release on July 5. Based on the true story of a man who, after being diagnosed with leukemia, imported cheaper drugs not approved for himself and other cancer patients, the film was sparked a national debate on the country's health system that has reached the highest levels of the Chinese government.
On Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang ordered regulators to accelerate price cuts for anti-cancer drugs, something the government has been trying to do for years.
Wen Muye, director of Dying to Survive, poses with actors and team members. Photo: Reuters
"If there is a cancerous in a family, this family will devote all their resources to them.Even any extended family will need help," said Li, according to media reports. Chinese state. "Cancer has become the number one threat to people's lives and health, we must do everything we can to save patients and ease the burden on their families, we need to solve this problem as soon as possible." [19659002] Cancer has been the leading cause of death in China since 2010, accounting for more than a quarter of deaths in rural areas. China offers universal health insurance, but the coverage is simple and many patients have to cover their own chronic diseases like cancer.
Many Chinese cancer patients are importing and preparing their own medicines. Many are indebted by paying for treatment. Last year, government data showed that 44% of poor families had been impoverished by an illness in the family.
The inspiration for Cheng Yong was a textile merchant from the eastern Jiangsu Province named Lu Yong, who was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2002. He started to import a generic version of Glivec, patented by Novartis for him and other patients. He was arrested in 2013 for illegally distributing the unapproved drug, but was acquitted in 2015 after a wave of public support.
Lu's lawyer, Gao Yupeng, says the film helps to raise awareness about the problem of unaffordable cancer treatment.
In May, China abolished import duties on cancer-related drugs and in May and June, the Chinese state council held meetings on ways to bring down price of anticancer drugs. In some provinces, such as Jiangsu, Glivec is now covered by the National Insurance
Authorities no longer prosecute unauthorized drug vendors if their quantity is small and the drugs have not caused any damage. Serious side effects, according to Gao, who has taken other similar cases. "In the past, you would be accused as long as you sold banned drugs, so the authorities are making changes," he said
The film, which some Dallas Buyers Club of China has described as has been praised for his social realism and his portrayal of Chinese society in all its contradictions, he presents demonstrations and clashes between ordinary citizens and law enforcement, and other characters include a pole dancer whose daughter is ill and a priest trafficking smuggling in his church.
"Among the many horrendous films of China, this film stands out as far superior," said one critic on the Weibo microblog. "This shows the struggles and the humanity of ordinary people under unjustified laws, and the pain you feel but often can not say aloud in these situations. "
Wang Xueyi's Supplementary Report ng
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